Ch#92
Spoils of War
Duchess
By Lemon Frog
Episode 92
"Come on in. Today's refreshments are limited-edition desserts from . Marcia! Could you prepare the tea?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Marcia replied obediently and pushed a cart that another maid had prepared in advance, carefully placing teacups beside the guests.
And when she had nearly finished pouring the hot tea, the baroness started the conversation as usual.
"Marcia. The guests today said they have something to ask you?"
"Pardon? What would guests want to ask someone like me?"
Marcia shrank back, feigning timidity.
Watching Marcia quietly, one lady smiled indulgently and asked.
"Well... We heard you know a lot about House Creaser..."
"Do you know that their butler is Edel Lancaster—no, just 'Edel' now—that woman anyway?"
"Ah, House Creaser... Yes, well, I worked as head maid from the moment that family was first established..."
"I've heard the rumors. Ha...! She's truly outrageous."
As Marcia shook her head as if utterly fed up, the ladies present exchanged glances.
The same lady asked again in a soft voice.
"What do you mean by outrageous?"
"Oh, she does things so casually that even someone like me would be too scared to attempt. She was quite different from the noble ladies I knew."
"How so?"
"I'm afraid to even speak carelessly lest Count Creaser cuts off my head. He must cherish her terribly for that."
"It did seem that way. He trusts her greatly..."
Marcia was almost grateful to Edel and Laslo for lending credence to her words.
*They must really be stuck together like glue now? Hah! I knew it!*
.
As she swallowed a sneer inwardly, Baroness Owen spurred the conversation again.
"You're just sharing what you saw and felt—who would complain about that? If Count Creaser got upset over something like this, the whole world would mock him."
"Is that so...?"
"The guests are curious, so just tell them a little."
Marcia exchanged glances with the baroness and nodded as if she couldn't help it.
"From the moment the count brought that woman home, he seemed utterly bewitched. And she seemed quite skilled at bewitching men."
Then the lady who had first brought it up narrowed her eyes and asked.
"Really...? What made you think that?"
"When she arrived at the mansion in the carriage, she was wearing the count's cloak for some reason. Her clothes seemed a bit disheveled at a glance too. I didn't look closely out of embarrassment."
At those words, the ladies' brows furrowed. Marcia pressed on with her lie, sensing she had them hooked.
"This is just a rumor I overheard, but apparently, that woman suffered unspeakable things multiple times on the way from the duchy to the capital. Yet she still seduced the count unscathed—who knows if she endured them or invited them."
"Was there such a rumor? I haven't heard it..."
"Would such vulgar rumors reach the ears of refined noble ladies? It just spread among the escort soldiers and reached the likes of us."
The ladies sipped their tea silently for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
Marcia paused briefly before speaking again.
"Ha, I wonder if Miss Linia is alright... That woman, once she settled into the house, begged the count to make her Miss Linia's dedicated maid. I'm worried the innocent young lady might be cowed by her."
"Did Miss Creaser dislike her?"
"She hated her at first. Like an instinctive aversion? But after that woman seized power in the house, it seemed Miss Linia just followed her orders without her own thoughts."
Marcia ground her teeth recalling how vicious Linia had been toward her unlike before.
Linia, who had danced in the palm of her hand, had been a quite useful source of money. She should have dealt with Edel immediately when she lost that.
- 3 -
*I got stabbed in the back because I was soft-hearted.*
As Marcia pitied herself, another lady asked in a peculiar tone.
"So you're saying Edel isn't really the butler but just Count Creaser's mistress?"
Marcia missed the probing nuance in the question and snorted with a nod.
"Of course. As you all know, could a duchess who lived like a flower in a greenhouse possibly serve as butler? Ridiculous. Probably doing mistress duties for Count Creaser before being passed on somewhere else."
"That doesn't seem right."
"Pardon?"
Suddenly, Marcia realized the guests' gazes toward her had turned icy.
"All of us ladies here had heard your stories before. And I and Lady Angela attended Miss Linia's tea party not long ago."
"I-Is that so?"
"Edel is a highly trusted butler in that house. Miss Linia cherishes her too, and Edel herself... was humbly poised to the point it's hard to believe she was once a duchess."
"That's because that woman bewitched Miss Linia! I told you—she just says whatever that woman tells her to."
But this time, another lady replied.
"Don't spout nonsense. Do you know what humiliation I suffered because of you?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"At another party, I was treated like a woman spreading false rumors! Everyone knows Edel isn't Count Creaser's mistress, and they scolded me for saying such dangerous nonsense!"
And the lady beside her added with a displeased expression.
"I heard His Majesty the Emperor strictly warned that no untoward incidents occur when bringing prisoners from the duchy. And the person in charge of that escort was Count Creaser himself. 'Unspeakable things'? Who exactly told you that?"
"Right. Where did you hear such talk? Count Creaser is famous for severely punishing soldiers who touched female prisoners even on the battlefield."
This time, the lady who had first questioned Marcia and the surrounding ladies chimed in.
.
"You called Edel vicious and greedy for money and power, but the one I saw was nothing like that. Even her special butler allowance, she lends interest-free to servants in need. Miss Linia even said it's troubling how she doesn't crave enough."
"And from what my head maid heard, you were fired from House Creaser for embezzling a huge sum? Even bought a proper mansion with the stolen money?"
"For that level of embezzlement, you deserve to lose your head to Count Creaser—how dare you spread such malicious rumors?"
Marcia was dazed by the relentless criticism pouring in. But amid it, the mention of the mansion that had vanished like a mirage before her eyes filled her with rage.
"Em-embezzlement? It was just small things I received from Miss Linia for my hard work, plus my wages and savings that I scraped together for that mansion...!"
"If you're that wronged, I'll report it to the Security Bureau for you. Say a noble stole a commoner's property and ask for an investigation."
"N-No, no! How could someone like me win against Count Creaser?"
"The Security Bureau justly resolves disputes between nobles and commoners. It completely changed when His Majesty ascended the throne, so you can trust it. My uncle is actually the Security Bureau chief."
At those words, Marcia paled and began trembling violently.
Baroness Owen, who had invited them, was equally shocked by the situation.
"L-Ladies! There must be some misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding? You should clarify your stance too, Baroness. Count Creaser declared he'd crack down on false rumors."
"Pardon? I just took Marcia on a friend's request...!"
She cut herself off mid-sentence and clamped her mouth shut.
*Never let on that someone from our side planted this woman here.*
She recalled the second son of House Milton, who controlled Owen Barony's funds, threatening her with a soft smile.
"A-Anyway, I think today's tea time should end here. I'll verify the facts as well."
"Well, you should."
Baroness Owen's face flushed red.
The ladies, whose goal from the start was to refute Marcia's words and expose her lies, rose without complaint and left.
Having believed Marcia's information and suffered or nearly suffered humiliation elsewhere, they harbored no goodwill toward Marcia, let alone Baroness Owen.
.
